NFL Playoff Picture: Why the New England Patriots will make the playoffs

After a slow start to the season, the Patriots are 4-4 and seemingly rounding a corner. They're coming off their biggest win of the season with a victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.

With another half-season to be played, anything is possible for the New England Patriots. Here's why the New England Patriots will finish the season like it's 2016 and find themselves playing in January.

3 reasons why the Patriots are playoff-bound

#1 - Mac Jones is improving week-by-week

In Mac Jones' first three games, he threw for two touchdowns and three interceptions. Since that point, Jones has thrown for seven touchdowns and three interceptions.

The rookie is maturing week by week and is playing his best football of the season.

Not many expected him to have a Mahomes-like or Herbert-like start to his career, but he is putting the team in position to win. Touchdowns, yards, and fancy passes do not necessarily qualify teams for the playoffs.

Wins are the only thing that gets teams to January. As long as Jones can keep putting the Patriots in a position to win, the team will continue to come through.

Already at .500, the Patriots are basically on the playoff bubble after a 1-4 start. If they can continue to stack wins together, they'll be over .500 with ease by season's end and could find themselves in contention for the division.

The Patriots are only one game behind the Bills, who have somewhat hit a wall at the same time the Patriots are heating up.

#2 - Losses against great teams

Of the Patriots' four losses, one came against the Cowboys and the other against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In other words, the Patriots lost against two of the top teams in the NFC.

However, the losses were also close. The Patriots lost in overtime against the Cowboys and they lost on a last-second field goal against the Super Bowl Champion Buccaneers.

Of course, they've also given the Dolphins their only win thus far. However, it was in Mac Jones' very first start in the NFL and the Patriots fell short by one point.

Since the Dolphins' loss, the Patriots have only lost to quality teams. On the flip side, they've beaten the Jets as well as anyone in the NFL.

In those two games, the Patriots won by a combined score of 79-19.

#3 - Classic Belichick season in the making

Even with Tom Brady at the height of his power, the Patriots have often had lulls during seasons. But at the end of those seasons, the Patriots ended up hoisting a Lombardi or close.

So far, it feels like one of those classic Belichick seasons in which the Patriots start slow, get written off, and come back in the second half of the season to steal the show.

New England Patriots v New York Jets

Of course, Tom Brady is no longer on the team. The Patriots still have Belichick, who is known for fixing problems at the start of the year and turning the roster into a playoff-caliber force midway through the season.